Glossary, documentation
What is e-prescribing?
E-prescribing is the creation, signing and transmission of a prescription in electronic form, from the prescriber to the pharmacy, in place of a paper prescription. It is designed to reduce transcription errors and lost scripts, and gives the prescriber and the pharmacy the same record of what was issued.
Updated . Defined by the wai team for clinics, groups and health systems.
Also called electronic prescribing, electronic prescription or eRx.
Why E-prescribing matters to a clinic
In the UK, an electronic prescription must be created in electronic form, signed with an advanced electronic signature and sent to the dispenser as an electronic communication, under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.1 The signature is what makes it a prescription.
For a private clinic, electronic prescribing removes handwriting and lost paper from a step where a misread dose can harm a patient. It also leaves an exact record of what was signed, by whom and when.
The prescription should sit next to the consultation that justified it. Reviewers, inspectors and the patient's GP read the two together.
Questions
Is an electronic prescription legally valid in the UK?
Yes, when it meets the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. It must be created in electronic form, signed with an advanced electronic signature and sent to the dispenser electronically.1
Can a private clinic use e-prescribing?
Yes. wai issues and signs private prescriptions in the UK through SignatureRx. See the scribe for the note and letters around it.
Sources
See wai on your own clinic.
A 15 minute video call on your own diary, notes and inbox. Prices for clinics, groups and hospitals are on the pricing page.